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SEVENTEEN member Seungkwan. Photo from SEVENTEEN's X account

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SEVENTEEN's Seungkwan speaks up about K-pop idols amid HYBE controversy

Paul Xavier Jaehwa Bernardo

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/173018037683320241029 (3).jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">SEVENTEEN member Seungkwan. <em>Photo from SEVENTEEN&#x27;s X account</em></span></span></span>Seungkwan of boy band SEVENTEEN addressed Tuesday the treatment of K-pop idols, a statement that is speculated to be connected to ongoing controversies involving his label&#x27;s parent company HYBE.</div><p>On Instagram, the 26-year-old singer made a post where he discussed the challenges faced by pop stars. Although Seungkwan did not specify to whom his message was directed, some social media users have interpreted it as a response to HYBE.</p><p>Last week, a lawmaker from South Korea&#x27;s National Assembly revealed that HYBE executives received a &quot;weekly music industry report&quot; containing disparaging comments about K-pop artists, including critiques of their appearance, skills, and other personal attributes, according to reports.</p><p>&quot;I feel that I can no longer stay silent for all my colleagues who are working hard even at this moment, my fans, my members, my people who are getting hurt,&quot; Seungkwan said in the post&#x27;s lengthy caption, which was <a href="https://www.soompi.com/article/1699048wpp/seventeens-seungkwan-personally-speaks-up-in-light-of-recent-situation-involving-hybe"><strong>translated into English</strong></a> by K-pop news portal Soompi.</p><p>&quot;Being a celebrity is a job I chose, and while there are parts I must endure because I receive a lot of love, I don’t think it is a job where we have to endure to the point of self-destruction,&quot; he said.</p><p>Seungkwan, affectionately known as the &quot;K-pop professor&quot; for his extensive knowledge of idol groups and their music, acknowledged the hard work of his bandmates, colleagues and friends in the industry, calling them &quot;people who genuinely love this work purely.&quot;</p><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-1" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DBrWmlSS39F/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=540&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fnews-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A1%2C%22os%22%3A10630135.3%2C%22ls%22%3A657682.7000000001%2C%22le%22%3A658371.4%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="881" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-1" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><p>But Seungkwan also stressed that being an idol is not an easy career. &quot;We have experienced enough pain, fallen apart, and somehow overcome it, putting in tenacious effort to show our best on stage for our fans. I hope people don’t take idols lightly,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;You don’t have the right to easily intrude on our narrative. Not just us, but other artists as well, we are not your items. I hope you don’t think you can use and enjoy us as you please,&quot; he added.</p><p>Seungkwan concluded his post&#x27;s caption by saying, &quot;I sincerely hope we stop giving wounds we can’t take responsibility for. I don’t want to see my members, all my colleagues who are working hard right now, the staff who have sincerely worked for us, and our fans getting hurt anymore.&quot;</p><p>The post also included a photo of a handwritten letter from Haewon of the girl group NMIXX, in which she expressed her admiration for Seungkwan as a senior colleague in the industry.</p><p>HYBE has said the report on K-pop groups was a compilation of online comments for monitoring purposes, denying that it represented the company&#x27;s opinions, according to a report.</p><p>SEVENTEEN is under Pledis Entertainment, one of several labels under HYBE, which also manages K-pop supergroup BTS through BigHit Music.</p><div><a class="fr-green" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/2024/4/23/hybe-labels-explained-k-pop-acts-their-sub-labels-1451"><strong>HYBE Labels, explained: K-pop acts, their sub-labels</strong></a></div><p>Meanwhile, SEVENTEEN is currently on the United States leg of its &quot;Right Here&quot; world tour, which will make a <a class="fr-green" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/2024/9/25/seventeen-to-bring-right-here-tour-to-bulacan-in-january-2025-1205"><strong>two-day stop in the Philippines</strong></a> in January.</p><div><em>For more news and features on K-pop, K-drama, and K-stars, visit the </em><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/kcontents"><strong><em>Hallyu Corner</em></strong></a><em> microsite.</em></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Jxqt7oQ5YYc?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><strong></strong><em></em><br/></div>

<p>Seungkwan of boy band SEVENTEEN addressed Tuesday the treatment of K-pop idols, a statement that is speculated to be connected to ongoing controversies involving his label's parent company HYBE.</p>

Seungkwan of boy band SEVENTEEN addressed Tuesday the treatment of K-pop idols, a statement that is speculated to be connected to ongoing controversies involving his label's parent company HYBE.